Starting-crank for hydrocarbon-engines.



E. J. PATTON STARTING-CRANK FOB HYDROGARBON ENGINES.

\ APPLICATION FILED MAY 1, 1911.

1,026,528. I PatentedMayl l, 1912.

. r Z J j I Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIAS J'. PA'ITON, OF MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOJAY I. BERGERON, OF MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA.

STARTING-CRANK FOR HYDROCARBON-ENGINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIAS J. PA'ITON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Michigan City, in the county of Laporte and State ofIndiana, have invented a new and useful StartingCrank forHydrocarbon-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cranks for use in starting hydrocarbonengines, its object being to provide a simple device of this typedesigned to be used in lieu of the ordinary cranks and which is soconstructed as to prevent injury to the operator in the event of backfiring.

Another object is to provide a crank made up of separate arms one ofwhich is secured to the crank or starting shaft and adapted to movetherewith at all times while the other arm, from which the grip of thecrank extends, is not fixedly connected to the shaft,

there being cooperating means upon the twoarms for holding them againstrelative movement except when the crank is subjected to a sudden jerk ina reverse direction such as produced by back firing whereupon the armsare freed from each other, one of them being thus permitted to rotatewith the en gine shaft while the other arm, to which the grip isconnected, may remain stationary.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings, the pre ferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

In said drawings :-Figure l is a plan view of the crank,-the same beingshown in engagement with the end portion of a shaft. Fig. 2 is anelevation of the crank, the parts being shown in their normal positions.Fig. 3 is a, similar view showing the relative positions of the parts inthe event of back firing of the engine. Fig. 4 is a section through thehub portion of the crank.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates an armhaving a collar 2 at one end adapted to be mounted on Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed May 1, 1911.

Patented May 14:, 1912. Serial No. 624,337.

the starting shaft of an engine and this collar is provided with acylindrical boss 3 to which a retaining ring 4 is secured by means ofbolts, rivets, or the like, an annular groove or channel 5 being thusformed for the reception of the end of the operating arm 6. This armrotates freely upon the boss 3 and is provided, at its free end, with agrip or handle 7 whereby it can be conveniently manipulated. A trip 8 ispivotallymounted, as at 9, upon that face of the arm 6 nearest arm 1 andan arcuate slot 10 is formed within the trip and receives a stop pin 11projecting from the arm 6. A weight 8 is formed at the outer end of thetrip and an annular tooth 12 projects from the pivot end of the trip.This tooth is designed to be normally seated within an angular notch 13formed in the free end of the arm 1. A spring pressed pin 14 is carriedby the trip and is normally pressed in contact with the arm 6, therebeing recesses 15 and 16 in the arm 6 and into either of which the pin11 is adapted to project. When the pin is located in recess 15, thetoot-h 12 is held seated within the notch 13, thus holding arm 6 againstrotation independently of the arm 1. It will be seen, therefore, thatwhen the crank is placed in engagement with the shaft A and turned asordinarily, the arm 6, when rotated, will cause a corresponding movementof the arm 1 and the shaft A will therefore be rotated as ordinarily.If, however, the engine shouldback fire, the jerk produced by the suddenreverse movement of the crank will cause the weighted trip 8 to swingabout its pivot. 9 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, pin 14 beingthus shifted from recess 15 to recess 16 and the tooth 12 moved out ofthe notch 13. Arm 1 can therefore rotate backwardly with the shaft Awhile the arm 6 is held stationary by the operator. Only a very slightbackward movement of the arm 6 occurs while the tooth 12 on the trip isbeing unseated from the recess 13, this movement usually being aboutone-half an inch at the grip end of the arm. By providing the recess 16for the reception of pin 14 when the trip is shifted out of its normalposition, the tooth 12 is held out of the path of the arm 1 so as not tobe struck thereby should the arm make one or more revolutions.

It will be apparent that a crank such as described can be readily usedin lieu. of the ordinary cranks and renders the starting of the engineas safe as where special appliances built upon the machine are employed.

What is claimed is 1. A starting crank for hydro-carbon engines,including an arm having means for engaging and rotating with a shaft, asecond arm mounted for rotation relative to said means, and a weightedtrip upon one arm and adapted to engage the other arm to hold the armsagainst relative movement, said trip being shiftable automatically bythe quick reverse of the arms, to release the arms from each other.

2. A starting crank for hydro-carbon engines, including relativelymovable arms, means upon one of the arms for engaging and rotating withthe engine shaft, the other arm being mounted to freely rotaterelativeto the shaft and a weighted trip upon one of the arms andengaging the other arm to hold said arms against relative movement, theweight on the trip constituting means for automatically shifting thetrip and releasing the arms from each other upon the quick reverse ofthe arms.

3. A starting crank for hydro-carbon engines, including relativelymovable arms, means upon one of the arms for engaging and rotating withthe engine shaft, the other arm being mounted to rotate freely relativeto the shaft, a trip pivotally connected to one of the arms and having aweighted portion, means upon the trip and the other arm for holding thearms against relative movement, said weight constituting means forautomatically shifting the trip to release the arms during the quickreverse movement of the arms.

4. A starting crank for hydro-carbon engines, including relativelymovable arms, means upon one of the arms for engaging and rotating withthe engine shaft, the other arm being mounted to rotate freely relativeto the shaft, a trip pivotally connected to one of the arms and having aweighted portion, means upon the trip and the other arm for holding thearms against relative move- -ment, said weight constituting means forautomatically shifting the trip to release the arms during the quickreverse movement of the arms, and cooperating means upon the trip andits arm for holding the trip in and out of holding position.

5. A starting crank including relatively movable arms, means upon one ofthe arms for engaging and rotating with the engine shaft, the other armbeing mounted to rotate freely relative to the engine shaft, a trippivotally mounted on one of the arms, cooperating means upon the tripand its arm for limiting the swinging movement of the trip relative tothe arm, cooperating means upon the trip and the other arm for holdingthe arms against relative movement, and a weight upon the trip, saidweight constituting means for automatically shifting the trip to releasethe arm engaged thereby upon the quick reverse of the arms.

6. A starting crank including relatively movable arms, means upon one ofthe arms for engaging and rotating with the engine shaft, the other armbeing mounted to rotate freely relative to the shaft, a trip pivotallymounted upon one of the arms, cooperating means upon the trip and theother arm for holding said arms against relative movement, a weight uponthe trip and constituting means for automatically shifting the trip torelease the engaged arm upon the quick reverse of the arms, andcooperating means upon the trip and its arm for holding said tripyieldingly in or out of engaging position.

7. A starting crank including an arm, means thereon for engaging ashaft, a second arm mounted for rotation upon said means, a trippivotally mounted upon one of the armsand normally engaging the otherarm to hold said arms against relative movement, and a weight upon thetrip.

8. A starting crank including relatively movable arms, means upon one ofthe arms for engaging and rotating with the engine shaft, the other armbeing adapted to rotate freely relative to the shaft, and weighted meanspivotally mounted upon one of the arms for normally holding the armsagainst relative movement.

9. A starting crank including relatively movable arms, means upon one ofthe arms for engaging and rotating with the engine shaft, the other armbeing adapted to rotate freely relative to the engine shaft, aweightedtrip pivotally mounted upon one of the arms, there being a projectionupon the trip, the other arm having a recess for the reception of theprojection, and yielding means for holding the trip with its projectioneither in or out of engagement with the recessed arm. a

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaflixedmy signatur in the presence of two witnesses.

ELIAS J. PATTON. Witnesses J 0s. M. GROTT, ROBERT F. GARRn'rTsoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

